Naked Consequences
by Lolenone
Summary: AU. Tony gets into some trouble, and ends up tied to a backporch - in just his underwear. The year is '93, it's winter and poor little Tony is only 11 years old. He is saved by a blue eyed little 'angel'. Oneshot.


.

Naked Consequences

The building was huge. The entire campus was made up of five huge buildings, four standing in a cropped circle around the main building. They were all made of red bricks, the roof shone in the pale winter sun, and the grounds around the buildings were covered with a thick layer of bright snow.

Most of the windows in the buildings were dark, the usual inhabitants gone for the Yule Holidays. There were, of course, a couple of glowing windows left. Parents always had some good reasons for their kids to stay at school during the holidays; and most of them accepted it – they were used to it.

A rich man's school, Tony called it. The first time he had laid his eyes upon the fancy iron gates and perfectly trimmed bushed along the winding path up to the main building, Tony had wrinkled his nose and crossed his thin arms over his equally thin chest. How could his father send him to this pompous boarding school without even speaking to him about it?

The knowledge that his father sent him away right before his third marriage was to happen burned in little Anthony DiNozzo Junior's stomach. Women were obviously much more important than his only heir and son.

That was half a year ago. Now, Christmas was upon them, and over half of the school had travelled home in fancy limousines and private jets to be with their families. Tony sat in his bedroom window, staring out on the snow covered grounds, wishing he could just run away. His eyes were drawn, every other minute, to the telephone. The hope that his father would pick up the phone and call his only child was a feeble one, yet it was a hope nonetheless.

He was eleven years old; he weren't supposed to spend Christmas alone in a lonely Boarding School dormitory.

Again, his eyes were drawn to the snow-covered field outside. He could barely see the beginning of civilization some distance away from the thick brick wall surrounding the school. Why they needed a huge wall around a school, Tony would never understand. It probably had to do with paranoid parents who needed a safe place to stash their kid during the year. Children as Anthony DiNozzo shouldn't be in contact with commoners, after all.

Tony sighed sadly. That, at least, was what his father had told him when he had dumped him there. What the other parents said to their children was a whole different story altogether.

Tony was alone on his floor, in the western building. He was all alone.

The few friends he had in this prison had travelled home, and the other boys and girls left didn't appeal to Tony's mind in the least. They were all boring and fickle. Tony didn't even bother wasting his time seeking them out. So there he sat, pressing his head against the cold glass, letting his eyes roam the countryside. Daydreams flitted across his mind's eye, his brain coming up with several good movie plots and pranks he could pull on his friends when they got back.

He was drawn out of his racing thoughts when the clock on the wall chimed once, four o'clock; dinner time.

Tony sighed again, putting all the good thought back into a mental box, saving them for later when he would lay in bed, refusing the tears to spill.

He trudged down the shiny staircase, through a common room of sorts, and out the door. He ignored the freezing weather and continued over to the main building, where the 'Hall-of-Food' laid. His friends often teased him of his name giving; every teacher he had was nicknamed something, every grown adult, really. Sometimes he would give dead things and places names also; nicknames to fellow students were few and far between, although it had happened.

It was a humorous trick to enlighten his dark and dreary daily life.

Tony arrived in the hall. Another sad sigh escaped him as he saw the few and utterly boring people who was left in the school. This was going to be a long Christmas.

The next day started out like any other normal day. Tony slept until twelve o'clock, midday, when one of the teachers came and woke him. Tony had grumpily gotten dressed, and dragged himself down for lunch, completely ignoring the other children. He had then dragged himself up to his room, set on watching some movies on his TV.

Yes, children here actually had TV's in their rooms.

He was stopped when he arrived at the top of the stairs, intending to continue down the corridor. The boy who stopped him was big; a couple of years older and had a bulging stomach. The older boy's features were mashed together, making him look like a squinting pig, and his face had permanently pink colour to it.

After that, Tony's day just went down the toilet. He had thought 'The Piglet' had gone home for the holidays; considering he was absent from dinner yesterday – But, of course not. Fate wouldn't be so kind to him.

Tony didn't say a word as the bigger boy clamped his hand around Tony's upper arm, easily crushing the thin appendage in his meaty fist. This happened every time his friends were absent; every time one of the teachers was absent, really. It was starting to get really annoying, Tony thought as 'The Piglet' dragged him down the stairs again.

Tony really couldn't understand what he had done to the other boy. Jason White, also known as 'The Piglet', had early on decided that Tony was too funny, too pretty – Tony had scowled angrily when the older boy had mocked him for being pretty, boys weren't _pretty_; they were _handsome_ – and too _happy_ to stay un-mocked and unbothered. Oh, if only the stupid pig could open his eyes and realise that Tony wasn't happy at all with his life.

His acting skills, on the other hand, were brilliant.

They arrived back down in the common room, where a couple of other older boys awaited. Tony sadly wondered if he couldn't stay in the girls building during the holidays; maybe this wouldn't happen then?

They cheered loudly as they carried him outside, pinching and mocking him all the way. Tony knew what was going to happen long before they actually did it. He had seen it done to another boy earlier that year. That boy had withdrawn from the school the following day.

They quickly stripped him down to his underpants, letting him graciously keep them on. The soft material covered in Spiderman didn't exactly keep him warm, but he got to keep some of his dignity by not being stripped completely naked.

What would his father say if he saw his son now? He would probably throw him out, disinherit him.

They threw him onto the back of a shiny new pick-up truck, something which they hadn't done to the other boy. Tony got worried when they started the car. Obviously one of the boys had gotten their Christmas present early.

The car rolled neatly down towards the gates, the boys howling with laughter all the while. One of the boys leaned out of the car window, slipping some bills into the guard's hands.

Tony couldn't stop the chills that raced down his spine as they passed the main gates; the cold air caressed his naked skin, making his lips turn blue and Goosebumps to spring out on his whole body. Oh, he was going to end up with pneumonia, Tony thought dejectedly.

They drove for a while; Tony could barely see the tops of suburban houses flash past as the other boys drove badly forwards. The cold metal burned into Tony's back, adding to the icy wind. This was not going to end well; they had never taking it this far before. Hate and anger came crashing forward. He had always felt numb when mocked and teased before; never had he felt such simmering rage. When he got back, he was going to get his revenge.

Tony was in the middle of plotting his revenge when the car came to a screeching stop. Tony's body rolled forward, making him hit his head on the metal. The world span as he listened to the boys whispered to each other, before they – again – grabbed him and carried him across the snow.

They had stopped in front of a white house; the roof was naked of snow, along with most of the other houses, the gate to the garden was closed and the house seemed absent of any living person.

The Piglet and his stupid friends quickly broke the gate, and carried him into the garden. They carried him around the house, snickering stupidly all the while, before they tied him to the porch with a course rope.

The simmering anger only grew as they stood before him, laughing cruelly at his naked form. Tony had never felt such hate well up within him. The anger and hate was set aside as they boys turned around to leave and panic quickly choked him.

"Wait!" Tony screamed as they rounded the corner.

The Piglet turned around one last time, a mocking smile upon his lips, "Don't worry, pretty. They'll be home soon."

With that, they left, driving off in the car, laughing and screaming about how they were going to a bar. Hallelujah to Christmas.

Tony let a single tear run down his blue cheeks. For the first time in quite some time, Tony let his mind wander to his mother; how was she doing, up in heaven? Maybe she missed him; maybe he should go up there, too?

These were the thoughts little Anthony DiNozzo contemplated as the freezing wind wrapped around him, making everything seem slower and the world colder than normal.

* * *

><p>Tony didn't know how long he had been tied to the back porch of a foreign house. All he knew was that the daylight was quickly fading. Pretty stars glowed up in the sky, twinkling down on him; he liked to believe his mother was watching over him. But then Tony would wonder why his mum would let him stay tied like this, and quickly pushed the thought away.<p>

The sound of a car brought him out of his dazed thoughts, his lungs contracted painfully as he screamed for help. The volume to the scream wasn't much, barely above normal speech volume. But Tony continued to beg for help, at some point he even knocked his head back into the pole he was tied to.

Tony gave up. The cold was simply too much for his thin frame to handle. But then, tiny footsteps sounded on the porch, making Tony's head snap up.

"Please, help me," Tony wheezed, coughing weekly as he stared down into beautiful blue eyes.

The little girl staring at him had brown hair sticking out from a pink hat, her cheeks were rosy and her tiny hands were covered and purple mittens. She gave him a sweet little smile, before she ran inside again.

"Daddy, daddy, there's someone outside," her tiny voice screamed, as she stood in the doorway in to the house.

Tony could hear hurried footsteps coming towards them and a stern man's voice snapping for her to get inside. Tony smiled at the girls name; '_Kelly_', it fitted her.

Tony let his eyes wander over the two adult that showed up in the doorway, the woman dragged the little girl inside while the man moved his body in front of them. Tony smiled sadly; the man was protecting them. What wouldn't he give to have a protecting father?

The man's eyes were blue, just as the little girl. His face turned from angry to shocked when his eyes landed on Tony. He was quick to untie him and usher him inside, throwing a blanket around his shivering shoulders.

Tony was placed on the sofa; the blanket more thoroughly wrapped around him and socks were thrust on his feet. Tony let his head lean back into the soft sofa; his head felt funny. Like someone had stuffed it full of cotton. His eyes dragged close and the shivering wouldn't stop. A couple of warm, slim hands brushed across his face and forehead, pushing back the few strands of hair that was tickling him. He made his eyes open, so that he could see the people who had saved him.

The woman was leaned over him; her hair glowed in the light from the fireplace the man was bent over. She had red hair, Tony thought absently. Her eyes were big as they stared into his, seeking for something. Her forehead furrowed when Tony couldn't hold his eyes open anymore.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

The soft voice washed over him, making Tony open his eyes again, "No, just sleepy," He mumbled.

The woman nodded her head. She carefully wrapped another blanket around him, this one around his legs. She disappeared for a while; Tony stared at the man who sat by the fire and took of Kelly her jacket and mittens. He looked stern, with greying brown hair and big hands; but when Kelly smiled up at her daddy, the look of love that shone back from the stern man's face made Tony's heart ache.

The woman was back, holding a steaming mug of warm chocolate. She gentle placed it in Tony's numb hands. He barely managed to curl his finger around the heated mug. But, oh, how warm it was. Tony gave a heartfelt sigh as he brought the mug up to his face and pressed it against his cheek, instead of drinking it.

The woman ran her hand through his hair, but Tony didn't protest as he did when the nurse up at the school did it. This felt much more natural then when Nurse Pritchett did it.

The man sat down in front of him, ignoring his wife's scowl for sitting on the coffee table. Tony let his gaze be drawn into the icy blue gaze of the grown man in front of him.

"What's your name?" The man murmured, speaking in such a soft tone, Tony felt propelled to answer. "Tony."

The man smiled a crooked smile. "Do you have a surname, Tony?"

Tony felt the tell tale sign of a blush spreading its way across his cheeks. How had he had forgotten father's lessons on how to properly introduce yourself? His father would ground him if he ever found out how much trouble Tony had gotten into today.

"Anthony D. DiNozzo Junior, sir," Tony answered back, trying to bring up his masks again.

The man frowned slightly at the change of attitude, but chose to ignore it.

"My name's Jethro Gibbs. This is Shannon," Gibbs nodded his head towards the woman sitting besides Tony, gently rubbing his arm, "And this is Kelly," Jethro Gibbs said, as he picked the girl up and settled her into his lap.

Tony nodded his head to all of them, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Could you tell us why you were tied to our back porch, Tony?"

The question wasn't mean, wasn't demanding, it wasn't angry. It was curious and worried. It had been a long while since anyone genuinely cared about what happened to him. The teachers up at the school had to care because he was a student – a student with a rich father and many angry lawyers.

Tony had expected the man to angrily demand what he was doing in his backyard; perhaps he would even call the police. Tony hadn't expected the gentle rubbing of his arm, the warm cacao in his hands and the gentle questions laced with worry. Something like this hadn't happened since before his father had fired his nanny Anna; she was his favourite. Tony never really understood why she got fired – it probably had to do with her asking questions about that the time he broke his arm.

"Hey," Gibbs' large hands landed on his shoulder, "You okay?"

Tony's gaze fixed themselves on the large, tan hand covering his shoulder. Even through the blanket he could feel the other man's warmth. Tony willed the sudden tears away.

"Yes, sir; I'm okay," Tony sniffled, bringing his moist eyes up to meet Gibbs' gaze.

Tony cleared his throat self-consciously, looking at the woman – Shannon – from the corner of his eye. She seemed calm, still rubbing his blanket clad arm. She was gazing into the crackling fire, absently chewing on her bottom lip. A bad habit, his father had told him when he caught Tony doing it – a proper person shouldn't chew on their lips, nails or other body parts. Just for that fact, Tony let a real smile blossom across his face as he watched Shannon bring her nail up to her mouth unconsciously.

"It was – pathetic, really – a prank," Tony began quietly, letting his eyes wander over to Gibbs' face again. It calmed him, looking into those sure eyes. Gibbs wouldn't lash out like his father – Tony just knew it. He had always been pretty good at judging people's character. It came with the awesome acting skills, Tony joked privately with himself.

Gibbs' face contorted into a frown – a frown which could probably scare the weakest person; yet it didn't scare Tony. It made him feel safer; knowing it wasn't really towards him. Or at least that was what he thought.

"You attend the Boarding School, up on the hill?"

Tony had to drag his eyes away from Gibbs as Shannon spoke. Her eyes were now fixed on his.

"Yes, ma'am."

Shannon frowned playfully at him, "Call me Shannon, Sweetie. I'm much too young to be a ma'am."

Tony blushed, "Yes, Sh-Shannon," He stuttered slightly when speaking the woman's name. He hadn't been that personal with any woman since his mother. It had always been Mrs this and Miss that; the girls up in the school didn't count; they weren't women!

"A prank?" Gibbs asked calmly.

Tony nodded his head. "A prank, yes; but I didn't know they would take it this far. I guess they didn't have the truck before, though," Tony continued, his eyes wandering around the living room, the white walls were covered in photos; the furniture comfortable and stylish and the wooden floor were covered by thick, warm rugs. The smiling faces of the Gibbs family greeted him from every wall. Some picture only had Kelly in them, either in pretty outfits, in the bathtub, outside playing, or sitting by the piano. The piano in the pictures stood in one corner; it looked well used.

"They left you outside, in the cold?" Gibbs asked, his voice had changed somewhat.

Before Tony could answer, Kelly spoke up from her father's lap.

"Daddy, I'm tired," she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Shannon nodded to her husband and picked her daughter up. She patted Tony kindly on the shoulder as she passed the sofa, carefully balancing her drowsy daughter in her arms. The two adult seemed to silently communicate with each other, if the long look was any indication. Tony respectfully averted his gaze, thinking they were having some gooey moment.

The two females disappeared up the stairs, Shannon humming quietly to Kelly, who had already fallen asleep, by then.

"Do you know where these boys went off to?"

Tony gave a tired sigh, raising an eyebrow, "Yes," he drawled, "They screamed – as they drove off, actually – that they were, quote 'hitting the pub'," Tony snickered tiredly, rubbing his eyes.

Gibbs only quirked an eyebrow right back.

Tony gave a bone-tired sigh, looking defeated at Gibbs, "I guess I should get back to the school," He muttered, with a wrinkled nose. Gibbs only nodded his head. Tony blushed slightly, looking around uncertainly.

Gibbs smiled at him; a wicked humours smile, "Do you want to borrow some clothes?"

Tony blushed deeper, "But I'm so small, and I refuse to wear girls clothing," Tony snapped archly.

Tony's eyes widened the minute the words left his mouth. How rude.

Tony's fears settled when Gibbs only laughed, patting him kindly on his shoulder again. "Don't worry; we'll just tie the clothes on." Gibbs left the room, a small smile on his face. He couldn't quite explain why, but the kid wasn't that bad. He had expected him to be some arrogant snot – he went to that damned Boarding School after all. But Tony turned out be polite and all over nice. He hadn't asked demanding questions, he hadn't offended their home or themselves. He had acted reasonable, considering the circumstances.

Gibbs returned to the living room, bringing with him a years old Marine sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. He ignored the blush that quickly spread across the young boy's face and neck, and gently peeled of the blankets. The question about the boy's age came to Gibbs' mind as he saw Spiderman on his underpants, but refrained from asking. The child acted older than someone who wore Spiderman on his underwear.

The Marine sweatshirt; the first he had ever gotten, almost drowned the poor boy, nearly reaching his knees. But the look in the boy's eyes clearly showed how much he liked it. It was very soft, after many a wash with Shannon's lady touch. None of Gibbs' clothes had been very comfortable before Shannon moved in and took over the laundry.

Gibbs handed over Kelly's too large Sweatpants. Tony stared up in Gibbs' eyes, taking in the size of the pants.

"Don't worry. You can't see they're girl pants," Gibbs said, handing him the pants.

Tony made a small face, before he slipped them on. They were tight; barely fitting. Kelly was, after all, only five years old. Tony stared flatly back at a grinning Gibbs.

"And now I look like some '80's model with skin tight tights and humongous sweaters. The only thing missing is the pink headband and curls," Tony complained loudly; feeling comfortable enough to joke, knowing Gibbs wouldn't get affronted easily. Gibbs may look like a hard nut, all stern and hard – but Tony could see the soft side. Maybe because, really, he was just a child, Tony thought absently.

Gibbs only shook his head, hiding his grin as he ushered the still shivering boy out into the truck. Just as they arrived at the front door, and Gibbs was staring at Tony with stern eyes, holding a yellow scarf out to him – to which Tony wrinkled his nose, again – Shannon came down the stairs, quickly walking over to Tony and gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek. The blush that blossomed across the eleven year old boy's face made him look like a tomato; his eyes wide and shocked as she stroked his hair.

"Tony, if you ever find yourself in trouble again, just give us a call, alright?" She said softly, pressing a piece of paper into his still cold hands, "Here's our phone number – Jethro isn't always home, but I am, okay?"

Tony had to bite his tongue to keep the tears from escaping; no one had, in years, showed him such kindness. And these people, whom he had barely known for about an hour, gave him such information – helped him and brought him into their home without hesitating. He looked up into Shannon's eyes, seeing the warm welcoming light; Tony felt the indescribable urge to hug her. He refrained, of course – proper people didn't hug or cry; especially not DiNozzos!

"Thank you, Shannon," Tony whispered, before he was gently carried out to the car.

* * *

><p>They drove up to the gates in silence, Tony staring silently out of the window, seeing the pregnant moon shine down upon the twinkling snow. It gave everything an ethereal feel, the stars and moon – maybe werewolves lingered in the shadows, like in the movies.<p>

Gibbs leaned out of the car window, speaking to the guard. It was another guard then the one taking the cash from The Piglet. The guard had a slightly taken aback look on his face, and quickly rushed into the small hut on the other side of the gates, speaking rapidly into a microphone.

"Please, sir. Drive in."

Gibbs' face slowly contorted into an annoyed frown as he took in the expensive looking school.

Gibbs stopped the car in front of the main building. The large double, oak doors stood proudly atop a balcony, with stairs leading down to the circling drive in front of the building. Besides the door hang two huge lamps, giving a soft glowing light, chasing the pressing shadows away from the doors. The railings along the balcony had explicit details of flowers and other figures carved into the stone.

Yes, it was grand, indeed.

Gibbs gently picked Tony up in his arms – just as he had done when he carried him to the car; they hadn't had any shoes that fit Tony. Not that Tony would ever admit it, but he enjoyed feeling of strong, safe arms wrapped around him – it was something Tony had dreamed his own father would do with him.

The front door opened sharply as a woman in her late fifties came marching out. The lightning made her look bigger then she actually was. Her hair – hard to tell what colour it was – had been pulled into a tight bun, and her clothing was as speck free as normal; a skirt and jacket. Tony gave a resigned sigh, calmly lying in Gibbs' arms as the older man trudged towards the woman.

The moment they were inside the doors, Gibbs let Tony slid down. Tony silently mourned the loss of warmth, but bit his teeth together and turned to meet the blazing gaze of his headmistress.

The woman's mouth was pressed into a thin line, her fingers dug into his shoulder as she steered him into her lavish office. Before Tony really knew what had happened, he sat in a hard wooden chair in front of a massive desk covered – neatly, mind you – in papers and folders, a computer and a desk lamp. The curtains hang perfectly from the golden rod hanging above the two windows; the walls were either covered in bookcases or filing cabinets. Except in one corner, where a sofa and a couple of chairs were surrounding a fireplace; bottles of alcohol neatly settled on the coffee table.

Everything was made out of expensive materials, the walls painted in a deep green colour and the floor covered in a thick rug with the school's crest on it. Tony let his sock clad toes rest on the carpet, sneaking a peak at the stone-faced woman before him.

She put her painted nails on the desk, leaning slightly forward, her hard gaze boring into Tony's.

"Mr. DiNozzo, would you be so kind as to tell me what happened today?"

Her voice sent chills down Tony's spine; the high, grating quality making Tony clench his teeth together not to say anything he would regret later. He pressed his lips together into a thin line; silent mockery of the spinster sitting in front of him. He bet she had plenty of cats at home, considering she was still a 'Miss' – she was nearly sixty years old!

"It was a prank, Miss Miller-"

"Are you trying to tell me that someone – a student – of this school has done this?" Miss Miller asked in a mocking tone, "That is absolutely absurd. No student of this school would ever do such a... _common prank_," She sniffed importantly, leaning importantly back in her chair.

Tony didn't answer, letting his head fall down on his chest, hiding his burning eyes. The anger at this woman would never die down – the minute he met her she had looked down upon him, like he were some sort of animal feces. His father had probably read her in on his _uncivilized_ behaviour, Tony thought sourly.

"Of course not, Miss Miller," Tony answered meekly; clenching his teeth all the while. Frustrated tears burned in his eyes like poison, making him blink rapidly to stop them from rolling down his still-slightly-blue cheeks.

"We have not informed your father of this event," Her dull brown eyes glinted eerily in the light from the desk lamp, "Yet," She added ominously; a threat.

Tony nodded his head in fake gratitude, "It'll never happen again, Miss Miller."

"See to it that it doesn't. Dismissed, Mr. DiNozzo."

Tony walked out of the office, holding his head high. He came to a stop in the hallways when he spotted Gibbs still standing there. Tony had been so preoccupied with his thoughts; he had barely noticed Gibbs hanging back in the hall. Why hadn't the man left, already?

Tony carefully approached the older man, his finger finding the bottom rim of the too-big sweater.

"Do you want the clothes back, sir? I'm sorry it took so long, I should have given you -"

Gibbs kindly stopped the rambling with a light pat on his shoulder. "Keep 'em," Gibbs murmured, looking down at the sweater that had been with him through wars, marriage; the birth of his daughter and so on. Gibbs gave Tony's wide eye gaze a small smile, winking secretly, "Maybe you will one day become a Marine as well, heh?"

Tony didn't do anything to hide the stars that erupted in his eyes. Yes, he would become a Marine. If all Marines were this kind, Tony couldn't wait. A mega watt smile crossed the young eleven-year-old's face.

"Yes, sir," Tony barked playfully, bringing his right hand up to his forehead in a salute.

* * *

><p>Little Anthony DiNozzo, being who he was, couldn't possibly keep out of trouble. So when the semester ended, and all the students travelled home to their families, intending to come back to the fall, Tony left the school for good.<p>

His father had finally realised his son was sneaking of to meet with a common family living in a small suburban house not far from campus, and had blown a casket. Tony had cringed wearily as he had listened to his father yell at Miss Miller, threatening to sue. Now he was being sent to Rhode Island Military School. His father was cutting him off.

The thought of his father cutting him out of his life, hurt more than the thought of being cut off from the money and luxurious given to him. It finally dawned on Tony that his father would never bring his son into his arms, hug or kiss him goodnight. He would never care for his achievements. Hate and anger burned within him as his father stormed out of the office, painfully clasping his son's arm as he passed by.

The sad part was that he hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Shannon, Kelly or Gibbs. The last time he visited, he hadn't _known_ that it was his last time. But, as Fait wanted it to, his father awaited him in his rooms when he arrived back to the school after visiting them. How his father had found out, Tony didn't know. Frankly, he didn't care anymore.

As his father was yelling at the poor driver, Tony quickly scribbled down a letter to the Gibbs family. He quietly thrust it into little Alice's hands, a girl whom had taken to following him around, and begged her to post it for him. She gave him a sad smile and nodded, of course she would. He was her _boyfriend_ after all.

She quickly lent up and gave him his first kiss – ever; straight on the lips. Tony kept his face blank and forced a weak smile at the blushing girl, before his father beckoned him towards the car.

The drive to the airport was the last time he ever laid eyes on the grand school. The tears didn't come, like Tony had expected; he felt numb. Like everything was just – _gone _from within him. He didn't know what to do, say or feel.

He only hoped they would receive his letter.

* * *

><p>Years went by, and Tony grew. As we all do.<p>

Military School showed itself to be quite the experience – and a good one, at that. He knew what to do, he knew what the boundaries were, and he knew what the punishments were. There were no threats or mind games, like his father favoured. Through the years he attended Rhode Island Military Academy, Tony had grown into a strong, athletic young man; who still carried the old Marine sweatshirt with him everywhere he went.

The same year he graduated military school, Tony enlisted in the Marines, proudly signing his name on the piece of paper. The first thing he did after enlisting was asking for Jethro Gibbs, only to get his hopes crushed. The man had retired.

Tony quickly picked up the pieces, and continued his career within the Marines. He loved every minute of it.

But eventually, everyone runs out of good luck – even though Anthony DiNozzo Junior hadn't actually had very much good luck in his life. While on duty in Iraq, Tony was shot in his knee, effectively ruining it.

As Tony lay in Bethesda, mourning his sad and miserable life, a young woman came barging into his room. Tony could only stare at the brash woman, looking like she was expecting to greet a bull. Her face slowly contorted into a confused frown, however, when her eyes landed on an amused Tony. She fumbled with some papers, some slipping down on the floor, and her hair came slowly loose from her ponytail. She backed out of the room, glancing at the number plastered on it, before blushing greatly.

Tony could only stare amusedly as she stammered some excuses, and tried to gather her papers. He would have helped her, of course, but he could barely stand on his damned knee. So, there he sat, watching the young brunette scurry around on the floor, grabbing at the stubborn pieces of papers. It was quite hard keeping the laughter in.

"I'm really sorry; but if my boss finds me like this..." She trailed of, standing up, clutching the papers to her chest. She coughed self-consciously.

"No worries; miss..." Tony let the sentence die out, a silent question for her name.

She seemed to shake herself out of some trance, before she reached her hand out towards him, a hesitant smile on her pale face, "Special Agent Caitlin Todd," She said, looking down in dismay as the papers she had clutched with her hand rustled to the ground again, "If you hadn't gathered it already, I'm new at rushing around hospitals with loads of folders; I used to have people do that for me," She mumbled sadly, bending down again.

Tony chuckled amusedly, watching as she dumped the folder on his bed and reached to retrieve the last piece of paper beneath his bed.

She finally emerged, looking flushed. Tony only smile at her. Just as she was about to open her mouth again, her phone rang. She quickly answered it, her eyes weary.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs. I exited on the wrong floor. I'll be up in a minute," she said, calmly, snapping her phone shut.

"Sorry, my boss is not the most patience man on earth," She mumbled, starting to gather up her papers again, "Sorry; I didn't get your name?"

Tony let a weak smile cross his features; she hadn't let him get a word in edge wise. "Tony," he smiled, "Gibbs? Do you know his first name?"

Caitlin nodded wearily, "It's Jethro, I think, something before that as well – I'm not sure," She quickly answered, backing out the door. Tony nodded his head absently in thanks. She was just about to close the door when Tony called out to her. She stuck her head in, looking slightly irritated.

"Could you tell your boss that Tony DiNozzo said hi?" He asked sweetly, using his best puppy-dog eyes; although he was quite too old to use them anymore. It seemed to work, though; she smiled and nodded her head.

After she had gone, Tony rested back in the pillows, letting his eyes fall shut. What if this really was his Jethro Gibbs? He had believed he would never see the man again; knowing that it might be him, _here_, in the hospital, made Tony's heart beat a little faster.

The hope quickly disappeared as the hour grew older, and the daylight slowly faded into a soft twilight. Either the man didn't know who he was, didn't remember or didn't want to see him. All three of those alternatives hurt just as much.

Tony was curled on his side late at night, the clock glowing harshly against the soft darkness; 22:03. Tony sighed again, forcing his eyes to close. Sleep evaded him though, his mind spinning around. Past memories surged within his mind, reminding him that he could have contacted them when his father left him at the school; he could have sought the man out before now, on his own. He had been too scared; he didn't know if they had gotten his letter or if they thought he just up and left – if he grew bored.

The clock showed 22:06 when the door to his room opened. Tony crushed the urge to turn around. It was too early for the nurse to come by; they didn't come before around 24:00.

The presence behind Tony sat down in the only chair in the room, not saying a word. Tony lay there, feigning sleep as the person behind him watched him. Several times Tony was about to turn around, but stopped. He didn't like the feeling of being watched.

When the clock showed 22:24, Tony turned around. He couldn't take it anymore. He carefully held a pocketknife in his hand, hidden beneath the pillow. The nurse had been quite adamant on getting all his weapons; he wasn't supposed to have them while in the hospital. Tony had snuck the tiny pocketknife his uncle Clive given to him on his fifth birthday into the lining of his pillow.

Tony calmly reached a hand out to the lamp on the nightstand. The sudden light that flowed over the tiny room seared in his eyes, making him squint slightly at the figure seated in the uncomfortable chair.

Tony could feel his heart speed up as his eyes readjusted to the light and finally took in the sight of Jethro Gibbs again, after many years. A hesitant smile started to grow on his tan face, his eyes meeting icy blue ones.

The older man sitting in the chair didn't smile back. His eyes were colder than Tony remembered them, his hair now almost completely grey and new wrinkles around his eyes and between his eyebrows. The blue gaze seemed to search him; they seemed to bore into his soul.

"Hi," Tony whispered shyly, bringing the small knife out from the pillow, carefully slipping into the lining again. When he brought his eye back to Gibbs, he could just see the beginning of a smile – it vanished quickly. Tony cleared his throat awkwardly.

"How're Shannon, and Kelly?"

Gibbs' face seemed to shutter close, his eyes going blank and his face turned to stone.

"Dead," Came the curt answer – Tony could hear repressed hurt dwell deep within the other man's voice.

Tony's eye grew big, his hands falling uselessly down on the bedcover. That explained the cold expression, Tony thought absently. The tears sprung forth, and no matter how much Tony blinked, one single tear slid down his chiselled cheek.

"Oh."

The word choked him; he had to turn his head away. The warm hand on his shoulder surprised him. Gibbs was leaning over him, his face unreadable as he gently patted the younger man on his now-broad shoulder.

"You grew up," Gibbs said, sounding curious as he watched the injured man. He perched calmly at the edge of the bed.

Tony laughed lightly, gently whipping the tear away. "Yeah, I did."

"Marine?" Gibbs asked.

Tony let a sad smile flit across his face, "Of course. I am currently lying in Bethesda Naval Hospital, aren't I?" Tony teased, as humorous grin split his face in two.

Gibbs frowned, his eyes trailing down at Tony's plastered foot, which was alleviated by traps from the roof – Gibbs quirked an eyebrow in a silent question.

Tony gave a tired sigh, glancing down at his traitorous knee.

"Yeah," Tony murmured, "I'm not going to get back out there again, it's too screwed up," He eventually told the older man, keeping his gaze away. Gibbs gently patted him on the shoulder again, giving him comfort only a long time friend and Marine could. He understood.

"I'm sorry," Gibbs murmured as he continued to rest his hand on Tony's shoulder.

They sat in silence. Gibbs' warm hand rested comfortably on Tony's shoulder; a warm, yet painful, reminder of the past. Tony's eyes slipped further down as the clock continued to show how the night progressed, each minute ticking by slowly. The silence wasn't strained or awkward – it was comfortable, a reminder of the times when they sat in silence after Kelly had gone to bed, just watching TV and enjoying each other's company. Good times.

Just as Tony was on the brink of sleep, Gibbs slipped his hand off Tony's shoulder. The movement roused the younger male, and his eyes popped back up at Gibbs moved off the bed. Slight panic washed over him – was Gibbs leaving?

"Tony," The older grey-haired man murmured, "I have to get home," He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled on it, before gently pressing it into Tony's hand, "Call me when they are ready to discharge you."

"That's going to be a while, Gibbs," Tony mumbled and averted his gaze. He didn't want Gibbs to see the hurt in them. Didn't Gibbs want to see him before that?

Tony silently cursed himself for sounding childish and needy. DiNozzos were not childish, nor needy. But then again, he wasn't much of a DiNozzo, was he? Not according to his father, at least. Still, he had grown out of his self-conscious, shy ways long ago. Why was he suddenly feeling like a lost eleven year old, again?

"I know Tony," Gibbs said, an amused flicker in his eyes, "I have a job. I'm not going to be able to visit you every day," The amusement was gone from his voice at that point.

Tony nodded his head. "What's your job, anyway?" Tony wondered drowsily, the knowledge that Gibbs was coming back was lulling him back into sleep.

"I'm a Special Agent for NCIS."

"Oh, that sounds awesome," Tony murmured, "You have to tell me about it, sometime."

Gibbs gave a sad smile as he watched the half asleep young Marine; his knee all plastered up and hanging from the ceiling, his chin unshaved and hair messy – a little too long for it to be a 'proper' marine cut, as well. The sight of the energetic movie-addict brought back many good memories – memories which had slowly soured throughout the years.

Now that he had him back, he was not letting the young man disappear on him again. He still had the tiny scribbled note which he had found in his mailbox that summer morning in '93, it was placed along with Kelly's old stuff. Quite a clear indication of what Jethro Gibbs thought of the younger male.

Gibbs slowly left the room, checking one last time that the now twenty-one year old boy – correction; man – was sleeping soundlessly. He carefully brought the blanket up towards Tony's chin, making sure it covered all of him. He ran his hand gently across Tony's short hair, before he closed the door gently.

He glared angrily at the fussing nurse, and barked that he would be back – and that he gave a damn in what 'visiting hours' were.

Gibbs left the hospital with a smile on his face – a true genuine smile, which hadn't really happened in _quite_ some time.


End file.
